Art of shrinking fabrics



Patented Dec. 2l 1937 I 2,103,205 I v I AM or snnmnmo. rsnnrcs Latimer D. Myers, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to- Emery Industries, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, a corlmration of Ohio No. Drawing.

Application October 19, 1935, Serial No. 45,833

15- Claims." (01. 26-18.5)

This invention relates to improvements in the art of producing shrunk textiles fabricated from vegetable'fibers. More particularly, the invention relates to a process.of treating cotton and like fabrics to promote their responsiveness to shrinking operations of the mechanical type.

The invention relates also to a material adapted to use in the practice of such process.

In the conventional method of spinning and weaving fabrics, the threads are subjected to tension. This is done to secure proper operation of the spinning and weaving machines and to secure uniformity of weave in the finished product. for example, overall material 'or denim. the woven textile is often passed directly to a finishing operation wherein it is subjected to treatment with materials adapted to improve, so far as is possible, its ffeel; appearance, handle orbody. Where fabrics of a better variety are desired, an intermediate step, called keir boiling, is

- practiced. It is the function and purpose of this step to remove whatever waxy coating may be present on the fibers and also to treatment of the fabrics with an alkaline solution under'pressure.

In effecting the removal of the waxy impurities and the hulls, the fabrics are rendered more absorbent, permitting them to be uniformly bleached and dyed. After this step is conducted, the fabrics are subjected to a finishing treatment analogous to that previously referredto.

The finishing of the fabrics is accomplished by the application of materials such'as-starches, gums and softeners. These agents are adapted to improve the feel, handle, lustre and general,

They are generally appearance of the fabric. applied in aqueous solutions in the desired proportions,after which the excess moisture is removed and the fabrics passed through calendar rolls to produce a smooth finish.

Insofar, therefore, as practically all of the textiles of the nature to which theinvention relates are woven under tension with the threads in asomewhat stretched condition, fabrics made in such a manner exhibit the tendency to shrink when subjected to water, such as in laundering.

A certain degree of shrinkage, of course, does our in those fabrics which 'are subjected to keir' boiling. Such fabrics, however, again become stretched while 3 being subsequently handled in rope form, while being opened on tentering frames, through pressures applied in passing through finishing calendars and in the various. On the other hand, those other operations. fabrics which have not been keir boiled after weaving, comprise threads remaining in the stretched condition in whic they are woven. exemplify the inventiomand not to limit it.

When only rough fabrics are desired,

Shrinkage of these fabrics continues through a number of laundering operations, gradually as the impurities are removed by the soaps and alkalies used in the laundering process.

In either method of manufacture of textiles, in other words; the fibers constituting the finished fabric are in a condition of stress or stretch, and hence tend to shrink under any circumstances that permit or'facilitate movement and contraction of the fibers.

A' number of methods in the past have been proposed by clothing manufacturers to preclude the shrinkage of fabrics once they are made into garments. The cloth has been subjected to boiling or soaking in water prior to cutting. This method, of course, results in an almost complete loss of the finish previously applied,'with the result that the fabric suffers greatly in appearance. Another method adopted by some clothing manufacturers has been to provide an allowance for 'shrinkage in the cutting of the cloth. The 'pura method of treatment that will shrink the fab- 2.1 .20 ESPATENTOFF'ICE In recent years it has been proposed to provide- 'ric in both directions, in a manner analogous to the shrinkage otherwise occurring in the laundering, washing or other cleaning process. This method is predicated upon' the determination that the causes of shrinkage in a fabric subjected to full laundry treatment are mostly mechanical finally completing the finishing .operation'without disturbing these dimensions.

The present inventionrelates to a process for treating textile fabrics to facilitate shrinking of the fabrics by fiberrearrangement to increase the efliciency and uniformity of shrinkage, and

.to provide shrink fabrics which are more even and uniform in texture and appearance than the shrink fabrics which heretofore have been available. For the purpose of convenience and illusr tration, the present invention is disclosed in relation .to one particular mechanical method of such 'preshrinking and to a machine adapted to this .process, but the disclosure, inrespect tothis particula'r method and machine, 'is intended only to 10 ing machine,

' With the use of the particular machine above referred to, the fabrics, whether "they be keirboiled or not, are treated with water solutions or emulsions of materials adapted to enhance their finish, feel and appearance. The excess of finishing agents is removed from the fabrics by passage through squeeze rolls'and then whatever moisture is present is removed by drying.

Next, the fabrics are brought to the shrinkpreferably in rolled condition. From the roll the material is spread to eliminate wrinkling, then passed onto tentering frames. In the tentering frames a spray of moisture is applied to the fabric on one or both sides, As 15 the material progresses, the tenter stretches the fabrics in width, which results in a'lengthwise contraction or shrinkage.

Subsequently, the tenter chains carry the materialto a drying chamber where the moisture is 20 driven out. At this point the material has-been shrunk in length and stretched in width. Next the fabric leaves the tenter chains, and is sub- Ject to moderate predetermined-lengthwise ten-' sion while a spray of moisture again is applied. This step is effective to cause complete widthwise shrinkage, but also causes a slight elongation of the warp threads. This elongation is compensated by causing the fabrics partially to dried and finally finished.

In both warpwise and widthwise shrinkage as carried out in the mechanical process. the degree of shrinkage must be uniform over the entire area of the fabric being shrunk; If it is a not so, the threads may be wavy and uneven and tend to distort\the fabric orthe design on the fabric in case it should previously have been of a printed or woven design.

To summarize briefly therefore,- it will be a seen that the fabrics, after weaving, first are keir boiled, if desired, then, subjected to the finish enhancing materials, and then shrunk in:

the machine and the finishing operation com- .pieted. The shrinking operation must be such a as to bring about the desired'degree of contrac- V tion in the material without defeating ordetracting from the finishing agents previously ap-- plied to the fabrics. The fabrics going to the machine generally contain all of the materials such as the starches, gums and softeners of various types which are used to improve the finish,-

these having been applied'bya water solution in proper proportion, with the fabric subsequently 6 squeezed to remove the excess and then dried.

Although the fabrics'have been wetted by the finishing solutions, it is not feasible to attempt shrinking while in this state as the drying meth- 'ods which must be employed in order to prevent w elongation of the fibers are not adapted for the removal of large quantities of 'water. For this ,reason the fabrics arefirst'dried, then moistened with small .amountsof water in the shrinking machine, the water subsequently added in these 65 small quantities having the function'of rendereing the fabrics soft and pliable'in order-to permit shrinkage.'- 'The'sesmall amounts of water,

approximately 15% more or less by weight, must be distributed and received evenly and uniform- 10 r roushout the entirefabric. .It is' theobject of this invention to a process adapted to render such fabric uniformly responsive to the. reception of the moisture used in the shrinking process, and to provide a I In process used in conjunction with the mechanical contract under the influence of heat while being i provide and appearance of shrunk fabrics, and at the same time improve the properties of the fabrics shrunkwith respect to their stability under unusual atmospheric influences during storage. Another object of the invention has been .to treat textile fabrics prior to mechanical preshrinking process, adapted to improve thefeel shrinking to facilitate shrinking of ,the fabrics evenly and uniformly during mechanical pre shrinking Briefly,. the present invention is predicated upon a series ofdiscoveries, concepts and determinations which have required commercial veri-' fication. The first of these is that oil soluble mineral-'oilsulphonates either alone, or combined in varying proportions, possess the capacity -to cause fabrics vto shrink evenly and uniformly when the fabrics are nioistened and .then subjected to. a process for-rearranging the textile fibres mechanically.

In view of'the fact that it has not been practi cal inthe conventional mechanical preshrinking process to saturate the fabrics thoroughly, prior to mechanical treatment, water usually has been I applied inthe form of vapor or mist as by sprayshrunk. During sizing, the sulphonates (and oil if present) are incorporated in the fabric, and finally, when' the dried fabrics are remoistened for shrinking, the moisture which is applied uniformly, is distributed and received by the fabrics so that the amount of shrinkage is uniform, and the texture of the shrunk pieces is similar from piece to piece.

The oil soluble mineral oil sulphonates, either alone or combined in various proportions with stable mineral oils, improve the appearance of the finished fabrics in which these materials are .present. In this respect the fabrics are improved by acquiring an evenness and uniformity of appearance and by exhibiting improved qualities of handle and feel; that is to say, they are appreciably softer and more pliable but with good Briefly, the process aspect of the invention resides in the treating of the fabrics with solutions comprising oil soluble mineral. oil sulphonates, either alone or inconjunction with stable min:

eral oils, beforefsuch fabrics are shrunk, and,

preferably, at the same time that the fabrics are subjected to treatmentwith the usual finishing agents, such as starches, gums,- tc.,- as

may be desired. Then the' fabrics are passed I 'throughsque'eze rolls to remove excess quantities of the solutions applied,.dried, and passed to The mineral oil sulphonates referred to are derived from'theprocess of producingmedicinal white oils and the light-colored technical oils by treating a mineral oil with fuming sulphuric acid and/or sulphur trioxide; As a result of this j treatment two layers are formed. The upper layer, known as the A or oil layer, and the lower layer, known as' the B layer or sludge layer.

The sulphonates of the A- layer are highly oil the machine or operation effective to accomplish shrinkage ofthe fabric.

soluble. The sulphonates of the B layer are highly water soluble. I prefer to use A layer or oil soluble. sulphomates in this process. However. it may be men tioned in this respect that oil soluble sulphonation products derived from brown coal tar oil may also be used in certain instances in the practice of the present invention.

While any stable chemically inert mineral oil can be used in this process, I prefer to use the white oils 'or light-colored technical oils produced when lubricating stock or mineral oil is,

treated with fuming sulphuric acid or sulphur trioxide.

water soluble, and possesses fineoualities'as a fabric softening agent. Less highly refined oils; may be used in treating lower grades or darkcolored fabrics, but whatever type of oil is selected for use, its boiling point'should be sufilciently high to avoid-loss by evaporation.

In general, the quantity of oil-oil solublemineral oil sulphonate blend used may vary from about 5% to about 7.5% of the weight of the finishing solution to which it is added. In this.

respect it should be understood that the quantity or proportion and nature of the other fining determined by that proportion which will dissolve readily in water.

On the other hand, for a fabric such as white shirting material, the

proportion of mineral oil-oil soluble sulphonate composition, may be as high as'=90%. In this.

latter instance, the quantity and ratio of mineral oil sulphonate to mineral oil is predicated primarily upon the particular finish desiredon the fabric. v

I may mention that the B layer or water-soluble sulphonates possess a number-of attributes of the A layer sulphonates but are not as desirable as the latter for the. reason that they are generally possessed of relatively dark colors and do not blend well with oils.

The shrinking operation is thefinal operation in the productionof the fabrics of the type of cotton. All materials applied previously to the fabric necessarily must remain since in:

the latter process nothing-is removed. Mineral oil sulphonates-mineral oil blends remaining in the fabrics add greatly to the desired fabric Such blends, when compounded with stable white oils, do not become ranci'd'o'rtend properties.

to cause yellowness in storage or upon extended exposure to the atmosphere.

In many instances and especially where fabrics pf high quality and fine grade are being manufactured, it may be. desirable to'use mineral "oil sulphonates from which extraneous impurities have been removed, thisimproving their properties. When this is the-case, the sulphonates are. readily purified according to the process de-f scribed in the Fischer-Reddish U. 8. Patent No.

1,703,83i and m the Heckel-Reddlsh U. 8. Patent No; 1,775,622.

There are certain instances when a textile manufacturer desires to process a high grade This'oil, when combined with the oil solubleor A layer sulphonates, becomes readily processing fabric and to provide it with an extremely softbody and special finish. In these instances it may be desirable to use a fatty body such as the sulphonation products of castor and olive oil, .fatty acids and tallow, thesoaps of such fats or the fats themselves in conjunction with the sulphonate or sulphonate mineral oil mixture.

It. should be noted, however, that fatty sub stances almost always are subject to the criticism that they tend to rancidify during extended storage. -When fatty bodies are used. in the treating of fabrics to improve appearance, it is advisablethat conditions should be -such that the fabric so treated will be used after a relatively short period of time.

In the process of the present invention the oil soluble mineral oil sulphonates and the mineral oil promote even distribution and. reception of the moisture over the entire area of and throughout a given piece of fabric. whereby waviness or distortion of weave or pattern is eliminated; of rendering soft and pliable the other finishing. agents added to the fabric, and improving thefeel, appearance, luster and without impairing the normal storage qualities of the fabric so treated.

To assist the skilled in the art in carrying 'out the process on varieties of fabrics, the following disclosures are provided as' examples only:

Example 1.Shrinking of denim fabric After weaving denim fabric is taken directly from the loom and without being desized or boiled out is padded through a solution containing 100# of a blend of 45% purified oil soluble sulphonate and 55% of pale odorless'mineral oil distillate having a viscosity of 80-to 100 sec. at 100 F., and 1004: of tapioca starch in320salions of water. The excess solution is squeezed out and 1 the cloth dried. The denim is then. passed directly through the shrinking process. Theshrinkage is even, uniform and complete. Desizing and boiling out are eliminated with a" correspondingreduction in operating costs.

Example 2.Shrinking of chambrays This material is usually not heir boiled but is lighter in weight than the denims. 'For shrinking fabric of this type 15# of blend described in Example 1 in 100 gallons of water provides ample 5 :wetting. starches may be added to this solution. if desired. In either casethe fabric is processed -as in Example 1.

- Example 3. Shrinking white broadcloth and modras a'mmple 4.Treatment of bleached white 'Jduck This material has also been keired but is a heavy material and is' usually given a heavy finish and is therefore more difiicult to wet than broad cloths or like fabrics. Fifteen pounds of 'a blend of 45% purified oil: soluble mineral oil sulphonates and 55% of whitemineral oil added tothe usual finishing solution consisting of 1s of pearl corn starch'an d80# of white corn dextrine in 150 gallons of water gives instant wet- V ting by the sprays and results in a completely shrunk fabric. a Having described my invention, '1 claim:

, '1 In theart of shrinking fabrics mechanically, the step of treating cotton fabrics which are differentially repellent to water,.prior to the time that they are shrunk, to render such fabrics uni-' formly receptive to water in the mechanical shrinking process, which step comprises, treating the fabric to be shrunk with an aqueous solution comprising oil soluble mineral oil sulphonates andistable mineraloil.

.2. In the art of shrinking fabrics of the type of cotton which are relatively and'diiferentially repellent to water by a .process involving the ap- V plication of water to thefabrics, the step which comprises, padding. the fabrics to render them and oil soluble mineral oil sulphonates.

uniformly receptive .to water with a solution comprising oil soluble mineral oil sulphonates, and finishing agents, removing the excess ,of such solution from said fabric, then shrinking said fabric.

3. In the art of shrinking fabrics of the type of cotton which are differentially reluctant to. receive-water by a mechanical process involving the application of waterto said fabrics, the step which comprises, rendering. the fabrics to be shrunk uniformlyreceptive to water by treating them, with a solution of finishing agents, containing from about .5 to about 7.5%by weight 'of said solution of a blend ofstable mineral oil 4. In the art of shrinking fabrics'by a proce involving the application of water to the fabrics from a spray, the stepsswhich comprise, treating fabrics which are differentially. repellent to water with a solution containing stable-mineral oil of light color and oil soluble mineral voil sulphonates to render such fabrics uniformly receptive to water,'removing the excess of such solution from the cloth, then drying the cloth, and finally passing the cloth so treated to the shrinking operation.

5. The process which consists inconditioning a fabric of the type of cotton fabric which is differentially repellent to water'in an aqueous solution containing fabric finishing material, and oil soluble mineral oil sulphonates and mineral oil in order to render such a fabric uniformly receptive to water and adapted uniformly to shrink when water is applied to 'it-in a mechanical shrinking process, then removing the excess ofaqueous solution from the fabric and drying it,

. and finallyin applying moisture to the fabric and then shrinking it mechanically.

6. A process for shrinking fabrics-mechanically which includes the step of conditioning those fabrics which are differentially and relatively water repellent to rendersuch fabrics uniformly receptive to moisture by incorporating oil soluble mineral oil sulphonates and mineral oil insuch fabrics prior to the time they are shrunk mechanically.

7 A method for shrinking fabrics relatively and diiferentially moisture repellent to render the fabric uniformly aflinitive for moisture in a process of shrinking the fabrics mechanically, which -method includes the step of treating the fabrics prior to shrinking with an aqueous solution con taining oil soluble mineral oil sulphonates and mineral oil. a

8. In'a process for shrinking fabrics mechanically'the method of conditioning fabrics differentially aflinitive to moisture to render the fabrics uniformly receptive to moisture which method comprises incorporating in the fabrics evenly and uniformly a blend of oil soluble mineral oil sulphonates and mineral oil. 9. A process of conditioning fabrics of the type of cotton denim which'has not been kier boiled process comprises treating the fabrics in an aqueous solution containing oil soluble mineral oil sulphonates andmineral oil, removing the excess of aqueous solution from the fabrics and drying them, applying moisture uniformly to they fabrics and then shrinking them.

11. The method of conditioning a fabric which is differentially reluctant to receive water so that that fabric may be shrunk evenly and uniformly in a mechanical processor shrinking,whichinvolves the application of water to the fabric prior to Shrinking, which method consists in treating the fabric'in an aqueous solution containing oil soluble mineral oil sulphonatesand mineral oil after the fabric has been woven but before itis shrunk, and then in removing the excess of such solution from the fabric and drying it., e

12. A method of treating woven textile cloth which has a varying affinity for water, in different sections of the cloth in order to render such a cloth evenlyand uniformly shrinkable in a me-' chanical process for shrinking the cloth,"which method consists in incorporating oil soluble mineral oil sulphonates and mineral oil intothe cloth and then in shrinking it mechanically.

13. A method for treating a web of textile cloth which varies in its reluctancy to receive water in difierent sections of the cloth in order to render that cloth uniformly. receptive to water and uniformly shrinkable in a mechanical shrinking process, which methodcomprises, incorporating finishing agents and oil soluble mineral oil sulphonates and mineral oil into the cloth, and thenshrinking it mechanically; 1

14, In a process for shrinking fabrics byadding water to them' and then shrinking them mechanically, the improvement which consists intreating those fabrics relatively and differentially reluctant to'receive water by incorporating oil soluble mineral oil sulphonates and mineral oil into them prior to the time that they are shrunk whereby'such fabrics are rendered uniformly shrinkable when water is applied to them and they are shrunk mechanically.-

15. A process for treating fabrics not possessing the capacity'to shrink evenly and uniformly ina mechanical process of shrinking in which water is applied to the fabrics, the improvement which consists inincorporating oil soluble mineral oil sulphonates and mineral oil into such fabrics prior to the time that they are shrunk, and then inshrinking them.

1 A LATIMER D. MYERS. 

